Susan Rice to NSA?

posted at 6:31 pm on March 10, 2013 by Jazz Shaw

Speaking of battles that you thought were ancient history… remember back when that woman – what was her name again? – was a sure fire lock to be the the next Secretary of State? And the Republicans were all up in arms about some television show she was on? And then she really didn’t want to be Secretary of State anyway and John Kerry was Obama’s first choice all along, so what was all the fighting about anyway? Ah… good times, my friends. Good times.

Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who lost out in a bruising bid for the job of secretary of state, may have the last laugh.

Rice has emerged as far and away the front-runner to succeed Thomas E. Donilon as President Obama’s national security adviser later this year, according to an administration official familiar with the president’s thinking. The job would place her at the nexus of foreign-policy decision making and allow her to rival the influence of Secretary of State John F. Kerry in shaping the president’s foreign policy.

The appointment would mark a dramatic twist of fortune for Rice, whose prospects to become the country’s top diplomat fizzled last year after a round of television appearances in which she provided what turned out to be a flawed account of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

This isn’t really much of a surprise. After Rice withdrew her name from contention for Secretary of State, there was much speculation that Obama would be likely to pick her as his National Security Adviser, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

This would put Rice right back in the center of strategic planning on foreign affairs, indeed matching or possibly exceeding the influence of Kerry, since the NSA is the person with the President’s ear on the inner circle. And the nature of the position means that President Obama can simply appoint her and be done with it. The GOP in the Senate will have nothing to say about it.

Of course, if Barack Obama actually is trying to mend fences – or at least arrange dinners – with the GOP leadership in the hopes of getting something done, this would be a fairly significant finger in the eye to Republicans. I’ve no doubt it will be viewed as such if it happens, and the President would simply be giving John Boehner and company cover to say that there was no thawing of relations across the aisle coming any time soon.

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I’ve no doubt it will be viewed as such if it happens, and the President would simply be giving John Boehner and company cover to say that there was no thawing of relations across the aisle coming any time soon.

Well it won’t be viewed as such by Boehner and company since they have had over four years to show us what they are made of.

Whew. When I first read this I thought Jazz meant ‘National Security Agency.’

Screw it. Let her be Oscuma’s national security ‘advisor.’ No one has any illusions that this scumbag is a traitor at this point. The only remaining question for US citizens is, Are you pro-traitor or anti-traitor.

Where else could someone who has relative youth, great but limited power, and is worth at least $40 million go? Pres. Obama must feel he owes Ms. Rice for her under-the-bus tire marks re: Benghazi. Still, if you pay the piper, you must dance to her tune.

The appointment would mark a dramatic twist of fortune for Rice, whose prospects to become the country’s top diplomat fizzled last year after a round of television appearances in which she provided what turned out to be a flawed account of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Well, they DO need a stooge with absolutely no morals and a hatred of conservatives to head the agency that will spy upon American citizens to discover which constitution loving, gun clinging, bible thumpers absolutely need to be droned.

his National Security Adviser, a position that does not require Senate confirmation

…you know she would get paid off with a position for her Benghazi performance…and “What difference at this point, does it make?” …that it does not require Senate confirmation?…if it did…Senator Senile would go on the networks pounding his fist up and down while saying “My Friends” a few times…while Lay-Down Lindsey twirls around in a Tutu in the background…demanding answers and getting none…and then voting for her confirmation anyway!

NSA, unlike the CIA and the FBI, is so super-secret that, like Jethro Bodine’s Double Naught Spy, no one knows what they actually do. In the Army, I used to razz my best friend’s husband (who worked at NSA) with lines like, “What’s your kill ratio as of now at 16:40 hours?”

A minor quibble Jazz. Anybody in the intelligence community would read your headline that Rice was headed to the National Security Agency at Fort Meade. A thought frightening enough. But a better headline would have been…. Susan Rice to become NSA. Which is even more frightening.

As someone pointed out, she took on for the team and now she is rewarded with a position.

Mimzey on March 10, 2013 at 6:57 PM

Yes, it’s that. But more. She has been one of BHO’s closest advisers, though low key, for years. Obama has/had hopes that he could advance her to become the Dem candidate, instead of Hillary, to replace him. But the Benghazi revaluations blew that away, at least for now.

However far left, Rice, unlike BHO, is not an America hater. Neither is she bitter or a racist. That sets her apart from BHO.

Me too. Almost had a cow with the thought that the head of the National Security Agency would not go before Congress.

Then I realized that she would merely be part of the whispering circle.

unclesmrgol on March 10, 2013 at 9:12 PM

The director of the NSA must be confirmed (although I’d add some caveats to that, but that’s beside the point).

However, in the case of our primary intelligence service (in theory, presently, the CIA), it should have no Congressional oversight whatsoever. This is why the CIA sucks so badly now. We basically have no intelligence service right now. Lib scum have defanged us utterly. Our country right now is completely dysfunctional, and that’s the way the libs want it. It makes me sick.

Now the next logical question for anyone, of any political orientation (except traitor libs), would be: If there is no Congressional oversight, how can we be assured that those involved in “intelligence” are good-willed, and loyal to our country? There are no easy answers to this. We just have to make it be the case. It is a fight. Especially given our current dire circumstances. It has to be a small inner circle of like-minded, patriotic individuals who are operating completely outside of any public observation or knowledge. A club. And, obviously no Muzzies. And if no such thing exists, we need to make it exist, and stop at nothing to bring it into existence.

This issue drives me crazy.

How can you have a viable intelligence service with Congressional oversight???

The NSA, however, is a different story. Its duties are much more quantifiable.

However far left, Rice, unlike BHO, is not an America hater. Neither is she bitter or a racist. That sets her apart from BHO.

Rice is not an America hater

petefrt on March 10, 2013 at 10:03 PM

I guess I’ve seen no evidence of these claims either way.

Except for the brazen willingness to lie to everyone, at every opportunity, even when everyone knew she was lying, and to help stomp on someone exercising the First Amendment as a way of protecting Obama, continuing to deny the reality of the deaths of four Americans (at least – we still haven’t heard from any of the ‘survivors’, have we?), etc. But goodness, at least she isn’t an ‘America hater’, or something.

The National Security Advisor is a WH staff position, and does NOT head the National Security Agency, whose Director requires Senate Confirmation.
But, this is just confirmation that this WH has no real interest in the security of this Nation, or the conduct of Foreign Policy, and that Rice reached her Peter Principle long ago (probably in the Clinton Administration).

I agree with you on that point, but I do not think that post should be a cabinet level office. Do you think every advisor should be have to be confirmed by the Senate? I mean, do you think the Press Secretary should be confirmed by the Senate?

I’m all for Susan Rice being NSA. President Obama will then have appoint a new UN Ambassador who will then HAVE to be confirmed by the Senate. We could use this confirmation to get more information on Benghazi.

Why? Because she did such a good job analyzing the security situation in Libya and Benghazi before and after our ambassador was murdered by terrorists? Because this means she has what it takes to analyze the security situation of the entire nation and make recommendations?

Nah. She must have other qualifications. Such as, perhaps, a willingness to lie on cue for the benefit of Dear Leader on national TV.

I agree with you on that point, but I do not think that post should be a cabinet level office. Do you think every advisor should be have to be confirmed by the Senate? I mean, do you think the Press Secretary should be confirmed by the Senate?

Dear Jazz,
Please see comment by Another Drew on March 11, 2013 at 12:58 AM. He is correct. Rice will only be a WH staffer and most definitly NOT at NSA. Please do your homework before using a misleading and wrong article title.

Rice will only recieve what NSA chooses to include in her daily briefings. And yes it really does matter who is the DIRNSA, currently General Keith B. Alexander.

For those so challenged here about what NSA actually does: It is pricipally charged with gathering signals intelligence, breaking any encrption surrounding those signals, and dissemenating that intel to the appropriate parties. NSA does not go around conducting hits or any other such thing. Killing people is the provence of agencies like the CIA and the military – among others. NSA collects intel – that is all.

You know, REAL leaders surround themselves with people who KNOW what they’re doing or at least have brains to ask questions and do analysis. Agree with the following list or not, these presidents surrounded themselves with a number of winners: Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton and Bush II. Based on the people the current resident of the WH is choosing, all “yes-men” or incapable of doing the job. They may get them but they will own the mess they will create.